Hubbardston celebrates Irish spirit, culture, heritage

Friday

Mar 15, 2013 at 9:57 PMMar 18, 2013 at 1:31 PM

The village's St. Patrick's Day Parade kicks off at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Karen Botakaren.bota@sentinel-standard.com

For many people in Ionia County, the village of Hubbardston is as close to Ireland as they may ever get. But that will feel pretty darn close this weekend, as the town celebrates its strong Irish heritage Sunday with St. Patrick's Day events.

Residents and visitors are invited to turn out for a short walking parade from the top of the hill on Main Street to the bottom, beginning at 11 a.m., to kick off a day of Irish-themed festivities. Everyone is invited to wear green and participate in the walk, which ends at the four corners. After the parade, attendees are invited to meet at Shiels Tavern, which will offer Irish stew and other Irish foods, and entertainment throughout the day. Members of the Hubbardston Irish Dance Troupe, a group of traditional dancers from ages 3 through high school, will perform following the parade.

St. Patrick's Day is the traditional day to honor St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who died March 17 and was credited with bringing Christianity to the island. It has long been a popular holiday with Hubbardston residents, because when the town was settled in 1849, it had a large settlement of Irish immigrants, mostly farmers and also some merchants, said Pat Baese, owner of The Celtic Path shop, who has become somewhat of an ambassador for things Irish in town.

"The land appealed to them," she said, adding that at one time logging on Fish Creek, a tributary to the Maple River, was a booming business, as was a grist meal, which employed a large number of people. "The town was a lot bigger, and Matherton was bigger than Hubbardston."

Many of the families in the village today still carry names recognizable from those early days, Baese said. Families have remained in Hubbardston for generations.

"Kids move away, but they always come back for St. Patrick's Day and Memorial Day," she said. "Our Irish heritage is strong."

When the elementary school in the village was still open, students did lessons and activities that honored their Irish ancestry, said Baese. Now, the school in nearby Carson City does the same. This year that was Thursday.

"The local kids in the dance troupe perform, and every grade does a skit or a song," she said. "It's packed. They hold (the performance) at St. Mary's Hall because the school is too small (for all the families who come to watch)."

Their Irish heritage includes music, storytelling and dance; the harp, which is the national symbol of Ireland; the shamrock (not the four-leaf clover), which St. Patrick used to explain the Trinity to the people; and potatoes and cabbage, but not corned beef, Baese said.

"The Irish raised sheep," she said. "Middle- to lower-income people couldn't afford cattle. I don't know where corned beef came from."

Another symbol that has become associated with the Irish is the Claddagh – a heart for love, a crown for loyalty, and two hands for friendship – which describes the Hubbardston Baese has come to know since moving there 13 years ago and opening her store.

"Hubbardston is a really close-knit town. Our ties are strong. When someone is sick or hurt, people start bringing food," she said. "The church, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, does a lot, too. That's the Irish."

"Sin sin sin é."

And that is that.

The Celtic Path is located at 214 E. Main St. The phone number is 989-981-6066. Find the store on Facebook, too.